Overview of UWEWK
MINISTRY OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENT
Overview of the Uganda Water and Environment Week 2018
The Ministry of Water and Environment in collaboration with key Partners plans to hold the 1st ever Uganda Water and Environment Week (UWEWK)-2018 at the Directorate of Water Resources Management (DWRM) of MWE in Entebbe from 17th – 23rd March 2018. The event will bring together key stakeholders in the Water and Environment sector to discuss strategic issues regarding the contribution of Water and Environment resources to the development of Uganda. The week will also host the commemoration of three important International Days: World Forest Day on 21st March, World Water Day on 22nd March and World Meteorological Day on 23rd March 2018. The overall goal is to contribute to the national development goals through effective management of Water and Environment resources and distribution for sustainable socio-economic development of Uganda.
Theme and sub themes: Under the theme: Water and Environment a Catalyst for Achieving Middle Income Status 2020; eight sub-themes will be elaborated, including:
- Integrated water resources management;
- Water and sanitation development;
- Wastewater and pollution management;
- Sustainable forest management
- Weather and Climate Change
- Water – Energy - Food - ecosystem nexus; and
- Stakeholder engagement and water & environment sector financing.
Objectives: The objectives of the event are;
- To increase public awareness on water and environment resources for growth and development;
- To celebrate twenty five (25) years of adoption of Integrated Water Resources Management in Uganda;
- To launch the Water Resources Institute in Entebbe;
- To showcase recent innovations, technologies and developments in the Water and Environment sector for efficient Water and Environment services delivery;
- To explore business opportunities and trends in the Water and Environment sector;
- To provide a forum for exchange of ideas for long term business partnerships in the water and environment sector; and
- To identify potential partners to increase Water and Environment sector financing.
Rationale: The proposed event is remarkably linked to Uganda’s national development strategy, the National Development Plan II (NDP II), which focuses on achieving structural transformation through increased industrial activity, with emphasis on manufacturing and value addition in agro-processing. According to a study by Industrial Economics (2016) substantial investments in environmental management and water resources are required to triple Uganda’s water delivery levels, an essential contribution for the country’s economy to meet its Vision 2040 growth targets. The study also observes that perceived limits in water for manufacturing is due to poor management, which will lead to five percent (5%) decline in the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) by 2040. As Uganda seeks to industrialize and meet its national development goals, water and environment resources management will be critical to ensure steady growth of the manufacturing, agricultural and service sectors.
Target Groups: The event will provide an opportunity for exposure and exchange of views, experiences, practices as well as benchmarking among academic, business, policy and civic communities. It is anticipated that high level government officials like the Right Honorable Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corps; schools in Kampala & the surrounding districts and the general Public will participate in various segments of the event.
Planned Activities: The planned activities will utilize various models of presentations such as Key Note addresses, plenary sessions, clean up exercises, marathon, and panel discussions. In addition parallel sessions will be conducted for technical presentations, interactive poster sessions and Applied training on the following topical issues; i) Water safety & security planning, ii) Water assets management, iii) Integrated Water Resources Management, iv) Wetlands restoration and v) Forest landscape restoration. The Water Resources Institute (WRI) will also be launched during the event. Additionally, exhibitions, side events, prize award ceremonies, side meetings, Field visits for practical exposure to; i) Feacal Sludge Management & Pro-poor WASH, ii) Pollution Management & Catchment Management, iii) Renewable (Solar, Wind) Energy Pumping & Micro-Irrigation Technologies and Innovative Energy Sources / Re-use among others will be undertaken.
Budget: A total budget of Seven hundred sixty –six million nine hundred twenty thousand shillings only (UgX 766,920,000) is required to cover the planned activities for the event.,
Partnership and Sponsorship: Partners and sponsors are welcome to support any aspect of the budget. They will in turn enjoy preferential treatment as per sponsorship category (follow the link).
Contact us on:
Email: uwewk@mwe.go.ug; uwewk2018@gmail.com
Mobile: +256 772 624 862, +256 782662205, +256 772521413, +256772670517
Follow us on social media;
Website: www.mwe.go.ug
Twitter: @min_waterUg #UWEWK
